Cardiff City stand top of the Championship as they prepare for tonight’s clash with Blackburn Rovers – but there is a feeling within the squad that the best is yet to come.

Cardiff City stand top of the Championship as they prepare for tonight’s clash with Blackburn Rovers – but there is a feeling within the squad that the best is yet to come.

The Bluebirds are on their best run of the season, having earned 13 points from the last 15 on offer, and defender Matt Connolly says: “It’s been good so far, but we will get even better.”

City have conceded only three goals in five matches and now have first-choice centre-back pairing Ben Turner and Mark Hudson back together with Connolly and Andrew Taylor at full-back.

They are backed up by highly-consistent goalkeeper David Marshall, and Connolly insists: “We will get even better.

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“The season is less than halfway through and it’s true we are still getting to know each other. We have gelled well as a group, but we’ll keep working at that and we’ll improve again.

“We have had injury problems, but players are returning to fitness now, while Tommy Smith will be back soon and he is a big player for us. It will lift everybody when he is playing again.

“Our mindset is that we want to win every game we play. Certainly we should have won more away. It will be tough at Blackburn, but we all believe we can go there and win.

“If we can take the three points that would put us eight clear of third place and put pressure on our rivals to win tomorrow (Saturday).

“We played Sheffield Wednesday after everybody else and the pressure was on. Others were looking on to see if we would crumble, but we came through the test.

“If we do our job tonight then everybody else will have to do their job tomorrow.”

City are likely to make one or two changes to their starting line-up for the match against Rovers. Jordon Mutch is ruled out by a one-match suspension after being booked for a fifth time this season, while Craig Noone is available again after serving his ban.

Aron Gunnarsson will step in for Mutch, while manager Malky Mackay is facing a decision in wide midfield positions where he has Craig Conway, Kim Bo-Kyung and Noone competing for two places.

It could be that he goes with Noone and Conway, but Mackay would not be drawn on his plans during his pre-match press conference yesterday.

Connolly has had an outstanding season for City so far, having produced good form at centre-back and right-back. He has already scored four goals, more than he has before.

“I prefer playing centre-back, it’s my favourite position and where I feel most comfortable,” says Connolly. “But I’m starting in the first team and that means I’m happy and doing a job for the team.

“I certainly don’t dislike playing full-back. I am able to get forward more. The two roles are completely different. Playing right-back provides more freedom to get forward and support, but it also means there is usually a winger running at you one-on-one.

“Some centre-backs don’t like that, but I am looking to improve all the time in that role and hopefully that will happen over the season.

“On the goals front I have scored four, my best return so far – and I am looking forward to scoring more, particularly with more than half a season to go.

“I probably owe it all to Whitts’ delivery. It’s incredible what he can do with his left foot. Peter is one hell of a player. Every time we have a set-piece we look like scoring because of the way he puts the ball in.

“When any of the defenders go forward, whether it’s Huds, Ben Turner, Ben Nugent or I, we feel there is going to be a chance. If we score that’s brilliant, but if not we look to knock the ball down for somebody else.”

City have earned four wins and a draw from their last five league matches and Connolly says: “They have been tough, particularly the last three. Questions were asked of us at Barnsley and Derby County. It was great to pick up the points we did.

“The Sheffield Wednesday match was tough and it felt good to pick up a win. We have great character through the squad, fantastic spirit.

“We have been missing key players at times including Jordon Mutch, Tommy Smith, Bellers and more. Those three alone would walk into most Championship teams.

“But when we are missing players of that quality we have great players coming in to replace them. Craig Conway started against Wednesday, played really well and deservedly scored the winner. This is a strong squad.

“We can earn results against anybody and I have believed that from the moment I came here.

“During away matches lost we have been in great positions and let them slip ourselves rather than being beaten by a better team. We are confident going into every game and our game-plan is to win every time we play.

“After our defeat at Charlton, when we threw it away badly, we had a meeting and discussed what we needed to do to win games.

“Sometimes you have to win games ugly and we are certainly prepared to do that.

“The gaffer has said many times no team has really outplayed us this season. When we have lost we have been really disappointed with ourselves rather than feeling we deserved to lose.

“Tonight we face a Blackburn team who are certainly among those who will challenge for promotion. Every season somebody from lower down in the table makes a run and challenges.

“Rovers have a strong squad full of very good players who have been in the Premier League regularly. We know how difficult it’s going to be.

“Jordan Rhodes is a danger man and we will have to be at our best to stop him. But they have quite a few dangerous players and we will be ready for that.”

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